Monica’s Musings: The Heiress

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

“A haunted house where the ghosts hadn’t had the courtesy to die yet.”
― Rachel Hawkins, The Heiress

Summary: When Ruby dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune —pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life in Colorado and with his wife Jules.

Ten years later, a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place. Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

My thoughts: Honestly, this book was not my cup of tea. I felt it was trying to do too much, and the different points of view made me lose interest. Showing us Ruby, Jules, and Camden’s points of view killed the flow. I got tired of going back and forth between all of them. And since I saw the reveals coming, it just made for a boring read.

We follow Ruby’s story as she writes letters to someone all about her younger life and how she came to meet the many men she marries. In between that, the book shows us the perspective of her adopted son, Camden, and his wife, Jules. The book has many twists and turns related to the family residing in the Ashby house, and soon it is clear things are not as they seem. The family has a wicked nature, and Camden and Jules are not safe staying at the Ashby House.

The ending was a meh moment that felt tossed at readers to wrap up the story, which solidified this as a two-star book for me. Overall, this was not my favorite Rachel Hawkins book, so I would suggest picking up any of her prior works instead!